are "grouped around two central elements: the glass aquarium with the goldfish in the foreground and the musical instrument being played in the background". Themes and analysis The Hermitage wrote that Arab Coffeehouse is "the epitome of absolute inner peace," referencing the figures in the painting being cut off from their surroundings, "as if they had lost consciousness of their bodily weight". Furthermore, the glass aquarium holding the goldfish inside and the musical instrument in the background "are the origin of the meditative state which holds the figures in its power". Admiring what he perceived as a "relaxed and contemplative" lifestyle possessed by the Moroccans, Matisse would come to utilize goldfish as a symbolization of a tranquil mindset. Provenance and legacy Shchukin acquired the work from Matisse in 1913, and wrote a letter to Matisse stating, "I love [the painting] now more than the others and I look at it for no less than an hour at a time." The piece's provenance involves the Russian state nationalizing Shchukin's collection in 1918. After his death in 1936, Shchukin's mansion became the State Museum of New Western Art. In 1948, the State Museum was shut down on orders from Joseph Stalin, with its pieces being split between the Pushkin Museum in Moscow and the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg. Since 1948, the latter has been the location of Arab Coffeehouse. The work has been described as "the most important painting in Matisse's Moroccan cycle". The piece is referenced in Resolution, a novel by Denise Mina published in 2001. See also Coffeehouses in the Islamic world Zorah on the Terrace, 1912 companion piece Notes References 1912 paintings 1913 paintings Fictional Arabs Fictional coffeehouses and cafés Fish in art Goldfish in culture Oil on canvas paintings Paintings by Henri Matisse Paintings in the collection of the Hermitage Museum Post-impressionist paintings Works about Morocco